I started training Uechi Ryu at about 15yo and did so for about 5 years. Its been about 15 years since I stopped training Uechi Ryu full time. I try to keep up with a weekly Sanchin but that’s about all I have done for the most part. I had a green belt with a brown stripe but do not know what kyu It was. I only remember 7 belt ranks under black so it either wasn’t a 10 kyu system or I have forgotten the other belts. The last kata I was learning was Daini Seisan.

I started my training with sensei Don Quinty in St.Petersburg, FL and later started training with sensei Mike Biddle (sp?) In Largo, FL. For almost a year I worked out 2 days a week with each (Any contact info from others that have trained under or with either of them would be great!)

I’m now 35 and feel I’m in a place where I’d like to start training again. The bad news is I now live in Nashville, TN where there is no Uechi Ryu dojo to be found. And my love of the Uechi Ryu makes it hard to start another style. I’m looking for others in the Nashville area wanting to workout and hope to start training full time again.

I was in a similar predicament, although I was coming from a different style and settled on Uechi Ryu here. Let's do hope that you can find somebody to workout with. I was first-kyu in Shorin Ryu before a 25 year layoff. Coming back to it, I found that, for me, kata and technique could be improved through diligent solo practice, especially with the wealth of DVD instruction available now. Unfortunately, my timing was pretty bad until I had a chance to work out with others in two-person drills again.

A lot of people talk about cross-training in other martial arts like jujitsu. While you're forced to work on Uechi in solo mode, you might want to consider formal training in some kind of grappling art.